Morning people, hate them or love them, I have always coveted their joyful energy right from the get-go. I want to have a smile on my face when I walk into work, I really do, but mornings are hard. I have never really been a morning person, or a night owl for the matter. I am happiest mid-afternoon when I am well rested, the sun is shining and I have had at least one of my cups of coffee for the day. Little did I know that my ministry job would require often waking up before the sun and going to bed after midnight.

Put that little ramble aside for a moment. Take a second and think of one word which you would use to summarize this past year. Okay, got it? You may have characterized the first half of this year as “exciting” or maybe as “mundane” but would you characterize it as a time of growth or intentionality? It is the middle of June which means, like it or not, it has been five months since many of us made a New Year’s resolution, convincing ourselves this year would be different.

I was challenged at the beginning of this year to pick a word which I desired to exemplify throughout 2018. My word, “intentionality” is one which I have written about in the past and I think is one word which holds so much meaning. Intentionality challenges me to bring my whole self to everything I do every single day. I have chosen to scale back my focus from my lofty goals to the faithful obedience of today and what a difference it has made. I have often been leery of creating large resolutions or goals because I felt like I was just setting myself up for disappointment instead of equipping myself for success.

This past month I have had the joy of reading Kat Lee’s book Hello Mornings and what a perspective changer it has been. From time with God each day, daily schedules, even down to exercise she challenges her readers to break down the “what” and the “why” of what they do. I was encouraged to think about each of these areas in light of the purpose to which I have been called. How can intentionality in each of these three areas push me forward as I walk in His purpose for my life? Lee developed what is called the “3 Minute Morning” and I have been amazed by its simplicity and power. [God Time + Plan Time + Move Time ]. I won’t spoil the book for you but I would sincerely encourage you to start thinking through how you spend your mornings. Do you spend time with God, planning your day and simply grabbing a glass of water or going for a walk? We all need to start somewhere and the “3 Minute Morning” was a great start for me. Remember my mini-rant about the struggles of the morning? Well, believe it or not, mornings have become one of my favorite times of the day. I have learned to rest in the Lord, surrender my worries and energize myself for the day in ways which last much longer than a cup of coffee.

At this point, you may be wondering how this post fits into my purpose for this blog. As I stated previously, I have been challenged to really take a step back from lofty goals and focus on the nitty-gritty of daily life which produces results through steady faithfulness. As we dive into different issues and topics, I would encourage you to continue dreaming big but in the process think small. Take one step at a time. I have chosen to start my day with this simple three-step process, to surrender my day to God and to remind myself of His steadfast love for me. Is it time to tweak your morning schedule and make God the center again?